If only I'd known then what I know now…

I can’t believe it’s November already!!! It seems like just yesterday was the first day of October. Only three more weeks until Thanksgiving, too.

Looking out my window… I can see some fog, and lots of damage to our lawn, caused by another infestation of moles AND an armadillo! Our yard looks Ed’s been using the tiller in it! We’ve tried everything to get rid of these critters, and nothing works (except killing them).

I am thinking… it’s kind of sad that our granddaughter is growing up. Time slow down! This Halloween, she chose to give out candy, instead of going trick-or-treating. No more “tooth fairy”, “Santa”, or “Easter Bunny” for her either.

I am thankful… that my health has been better, lately. I’ve actually had enough energy to tackle a couple of home projects. I spent one day working in my kitchen, and another in my bedroom.

One of my favorite things… has always been having our grandchildren stop by our house to go “trick-or-treating”. I always look forward to seeing what kind of costumes they’ll be wearing. We live in the country, so they are the only “trick-or-treaters” we get to see.

I am wearing… a pair of pajama pants, with ducks on them, and a yellow t-shirt.

I am going… to ‘early vote’, today. We’re trying to avoid the long lines of election day! We are also going to the doctor, on Wednesday, and we have an appointment to have our car serviced, later this week. We’ll be doing a lot of “going”.

I am creating… nothing, yet, but I’m about to try my hand at crocheting a couple of Christmas throw pillow covers. Wish me luck, because I haven’t crocheted in a very long time!!!

I am reading… a couple of devotional books that I recently purchased. My favorite one is entitled Wisdom for Each Day written by Billy Graham.

I am watching… the shows DesignatedSurvivor, Bull,The Black List, and Survivor on television.

I am listening… to Bradley Walker’s new cd, Call Me Old Fashioned. Bradley Walker is a budding country music artist, with a nice voice. Bradley also has muscular dystrophy, but he hasn’t let it hold him back. Bradley is friends with Rory Feek (formerly of the country duo, Joey & Rory) and was friends with Joey, as well. After Joey passed away, earlier this year, Rory got busy producing this album for Bradley. I like it! Here’s the title cut from the cd:

I am hoping… these blasted mosquitoes will hurry up and die! It’s 86 degrees, and we’re having to wear long sleeves and slacks, outside, to keep from being eaten alive. The little ‘buggers’ just seem to scoff at our insect repellent.

I am learning… to trust and rely on God. I’ve always been a born worrier, when things get a little crazy, but I’m trying to change my ways, and give it to God.

In my kitchen… I made a pot of homemade chili for supper, last night, even though it was 86 degrees outside! October 31 just seemed like a good time for chili, so I turned on the second a/c unit and made some. It was good.

In my garden… somecarrots, radishes, cabbage, mustard greens, and turnip greens are growing. So far, only the radishes are ready for consumption. We ate a few in our grilled chicken salad, on Sunday.

Shared Quote: Be the wind, O Lord, that blows away all troubles from my path, and clears the way for me as I walk. Be the sun, O Lord, that warms me when life’s storms surround me. Be the light, O Lord, that guides my way when all around me the fog of doubt hangs low and thick. Be the stars, O Lord, that keep me looking upward in hope, joy, and expectation of a better tomorrow. ( From the book entitled This Too Shall Pass. Author unknown)

A moment from my day:

Last year’s trick-or-treaters:

This year’s trick-or-treaters:

The boys’ interests change from year to year. Last year they wanted to dress up like old wrestlers (Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior). This year they wanted to be old NBA stars. (Larry Byrd & Michael Jordan) Their mom always does a great job of making their costumes. This year, we missed having Madison in our Halloween picture (she was giving out candy in town).

Closing Notes:

As you may know, our daughter’s house flooded, last Tuesday. It’s all dried out, now, but the place is in shambles. The kitchen cabinets have been removed, as well as the floor covering in the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and part of the bedroom. They’re waiting on estimates and ‘red tape’ before they can proceed with putting their home back together again. They’ve been staying with our daughter’s in-laws.

I’m in the process of trying to sort out some issues concerning my health care insurance for 2017. Unfortunately, my previous carrier, Humana, won’t be participating in the “Healthcare Marketplace”, next year. Since Ed and I are on a fixed income, I have to rely on “The Marketplace” for affordable insurance. Unfortunately, only Blue Cross/Blue Shield still remains in ‘The Marketplace’, and two of my [four] physicians are not providers in their network. I’m not sure my prescriptions will be covered, either. It’s one of those problems I’m trying to give to God.

Another week has come and gone again. I haven’t been able to concentrate long enough to write a themed post, this week, so how about a few fragments about life in our neck of the woods?

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Ed almost didn’t plant any sweet potatoes, this year. However, in June, just as we were about to throw away the remnants of last year’s yams, we discovered that some of the potatoes had begun to sprout–at lot! So, we cut off the sprouts, and planted them, even though most of them had no roots yet. (usually we break off the sprouts and let them grow roots in water first) To our surprise, the sprouts lived, and soon began growing sweet potato vines. Last week, Ed plowed up the plants, and dug the potatoes. He was pleased with his crop!

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The chickens are driving me crazy! Trying to teach them to sleep on the perches in the chicken coop has been frustrating, to put it mildly. I never know what I’m going to find when I go outside to close them up for the evening. At first, none of the chicks were on perches, but this is what I found on Monday evening, so perhaps there’s hope…

Three chicks on the perches, four on the shelf! (We don’t want them to sleep on the shelf.) In spite of the fact that we stood some of the shelving board upright, some of the pullets insisted on continuing to sleep on it! I’m sure ‘uncomfortable’ would be an understatement for how they slept! On Tuesday, Ed moved the shelf around a bit more, then added a large piece of pvc pipe to the top of it, to discourage perching. By last night, all but two chicks were sleeping on the perches. Wouldn’t you know, ‘Dixie’ (the white chick) was still one of the ‘hold outs’?! I think ‘Dixie’ fancies herself to be a rooster, as well as the leader of the flock. I can tell this, not only by her actions, but by the fact that she chose to sleep at the highest point in the coop!

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I don’t know about everyone else, but it’s ‘Red Ribbon Week’ in our neck of the woods. Red Ribbon Week is an anti-drug campaign, which lets students participate in a variety of activities all week, including dressing in different ways each day. I’ve really enjoyed some of the pictures on Facebook, this week! Our daughter-in-law rose to the challenge, when our grandson, Caden, decided he wanted to be a garbage man for ‘Dress Up Day’:

and our daughter, also, rose to the challenge, when her daughter had to dress as a ‘Super Hero’ for AWANA night. May I present to you, ‘Super Girl’…

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It’s been many years since Ed had to go (in person) to get his driver’s license renewed, but 2014 was Ed’s year to go. All of the rules have changed, and now a person has to bring a certified copy of their birth certificate, their social security card, and two proofs of their residence when renewing their license. Tuesday night, Ed gathered all of the required documents (he thought) and put them in his car. Imagine his surprise, the next day, when he handed the lady all of his documentation, and she informed him that he’d brought his wife’s birth certificate instead of his! Ha! (He’d kill me if he knew I told this.) I tell you, old age ain’t for sissies! The license lady, upon noticing Ed also has a motorcycle license, told Ed, “You can ride your bike back to the patrol office, on the return trip, and get some fresh air.” Ha! Ed hasn’t owned (or ridden) a motorcycle in quite a few years! I’m thinking the license lady was probably amused by Ed…

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Last, but not least, our town held trick-or-treat last evening. Ed and I had four trick-or-treaters. Three of them were our grandchildren, while the ‘Minnie Mouse’ is like an ‘honorary grand’ because our daughter-in-law keeps her every afternoon, and she calls us “Mimi” and “E”, too. All were adorable!

Halloween 2014 – Chase, Caden, Madison, and Rylan

Ed’s off again today, so I’m going to end this post now. Those ‘mandatory’ vacation days sure do roll around often! Ed doesn’t seem to mind having every other Friday off, so I guess that’s good. Nothing else has happened with the hospital (yet), but I suspect some changes are just over the horizon… Stay tuned–and have a good weekend–even if we do have to change over to Daylight Savings Time! (Ugh!) Sunday morning’s temperatures are also supposed to dip down to 40 degrees… Brrrrr!

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Oh, one last thing, a shout out to my brother and sister-in-law, who live in Florida, and usually read this blog– I’ll be thinking of y’all tomorrow during the GA/FLA game. Go ‘Dawgs’! 🙂

Can you believe it’s already the last Wednesday of October? Me either! Welcome to The Wednesday Hodgepodge, the mid-week meme, hosted by Joyce FromThisSideOfThePond. The Hodgepodge is a little of this and a little of that, but it’s always a lot of fun! Here are this week’s questions, along with my answers:

1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste, or be most willing to taste?

Ed used to do a little bit of hunting, when he was a teenager, but that was long before we met, and he didn’t hunt much. Our son-in-law, Clint, used to hunt, too, but not since he’s been in our family. At this time, there are currently no hunters in our family, but if meat prices continue to soar at the grocery store, that could possibly change! Around here, most people hunt for deer, birds, or wild turkeys.

While we’re on this subject, let me just say that I have a problem with very young children going hunting. I’ve seen pictures of local children, some as young as five or six, posing with deer they’ve supposedly killed. This disturbs me–a lot!

As far as what I would eat or what I have eaten, I’ve eaten venison (deer meat) and wild birds (dove & quail), but it’s been quite a while since I’ve done so. I would be willing to try duck, wild turkey, or goose, but that’s about it.

2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful ‘bird’s eye view’ of something below?

The last high ‘bird’s eye view’ I had was from top of the light tower, on St. Simon’s Island, and that was probably 25 years ago! My knees grew weak when I walked out on the ledge, and looked down! I’m afraid of heights, so I usually try to avoid places with a ‘bird’s eye view’. Besides, these days, I probably couldn’t hold out to climb all the steps of a lighthouse!

3. Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in bird prints, knickknacks, fabric or pottery.

Yes, we have birds! Up until two weeks ago, we had seven baby chicks living in a box in our pool room. Thankfully, they’ve moved outside now, to a home of their own, but I still have a green and yellow parakeet named ‘Tweety’, who shares our home. I don’t know exactly how old ‘Tweety’ is, but he’s lived with us for almost nine years.

4. Tell about a time you ‘killed two birds with one stone’?

How about this past weekend, when we celebrated two different grandchildrens’ birthdays in one weekend? Granddaughter, Madison, turned 8 on September 23. Grandson, Evan, will turn 1 on October 30.

Evan wasn’t so sure about his ‘smash cake’…

Madison poses with her ‘Frozen’ themed cake

Evan’s party was last Saturday, and Madison’s party was last Sunday! It was a lot of ‘sweets’, people, and celebrating for one weekend, but, we all survived!

5. Your favorite song with a bird in its title?

An old song comes to mind: On the Wings of a Dove by Ferlin Husky. This [somewhat spiritual] song was popular when I was a child (in 1960), but I still love it today! I was happy to find the song on YouTube, and decided to share it for those who may have never heard it. (That would probably include my own children, too)

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

Watching the new show ‘Stalker’ gives me goose bumps! What a ‘sit on the edge of your seat’ kind of show! Last week’s episode, ‘Phobia’, actually had me squirming and yelling, when a woman woke up to find over thirty snakes in her bedroom–one of which was in her bed! Snakes definitely qualify as one of my phobias! (I got goosebumps again, yesterday, when Ed found a HUGE snake’s skin near our back yard!)

7. Halloween is this Friday…any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

Although Halloween isn’t until Friday, our town will have its ‘trick-or-treat night’ on Thursday night–our town is ‘funny’ that way. They only do ‘trick-or-treat’ on Tuesday or Thursday nights. Go figure! We have no plans (yet) for Halloween, but our grandchildren will stop by on Thursday night to collect the ‘treats’ that I have waiting for them.

Yes, I did go trick-or-treating, as a child. Back then, we were lucky if we got a mask to wear for Halloween. If we weren’t lucky enough to get a mask, from the dime store, we dressed up in old clothes, put smut on our faces, and went trick-or-treating as a hobo. There was also the old standby of wearing a white sheet over our heads, and pretending to be a ghost, too. I think we had more fun, back then, than the children do now!

My most memorable Halloween costume is from just three years ago, when Ed and I dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, for our last family Halloween Party.

As for carving pumpkins, I never did that when I was a child. I watched Ed carve a few jack-o-lanterns with our own children, although I’ve never tried it myself. I’d probably make a mess of the pumpkin!

Random:

With Halloween just around the corner, I’m sharing my Halloween montage again. It’s a collection of some of my favorite Halloween pictures. I really need to make another one of these, and include some Halloween photos of the two newest ‘grands’. Enjoy!

Oh, my! It’s been another fast week. The weeks are going by so quickly, I find myself unable to keep up with the pace. Another Friday, means another edition of Friday Fragments at Mrs. Fours’ place, so here goes…

‘year round’ tree

It took me two days, but I got the Halloween decorations out, and the ‘Year Round’ tree decorated for Halloween. I still have to put up the outside decorations, but I’ll do that over the weekend, while Ed is here to help me.

teddy bear trick-or-treaters

My daughter, my granddaughter, and I had a girls’ day out on Wednesday. We were celebrating my daughter’s birthday. We had lunch together, shopped a bit, then came home and enjoyed some birthday cake and ice cream. It was a good day.

the birthday girl

The baby chicks are getting ridiculously large! They’ll be four weeks old, on Monday, and they are already out-growing their ‘chick condo’ again. We will probably have to add another box within the next few days. Two weeks from tomorrow is the target date for putting them in their outside coop. I’m beyond ready! ‘Della’, the chick who’s had so many problems, is now living in the ‘condo’ with her sisters, even though she’s much smaller than they are. She continues to have ‘issues’, but she’s tough little bird (otherwise she would’ve died by now).

chicks are getting so big

Ed’s still not feeling well. He went back to the doctor, this week, but didn’t find out much more than he already knew. He’s still taking anti-inflammatory medication, and waiting for this thyroid thing to run its course. He’ll be having a few more tests, to rule out other possibilities of his problems– just in case something else is going on.

I’m sure everyone is aware, by now, that Ebola is now in Texas. I figured it was just a matter of time. This concerns me greatly, especially since two members of our family work in hospitals, directly in healthcare! I wonder how long before this horrible virus will begin to spread…

Ed’s off on another ‘mandatory’ vacation day, today. He’s outside working on the chicken coop. He hopes to finish most of it today, if his stamina and the weather cooperate! (it’s cloudy) I sure have been missing our trips to St. Simon’s Island on those ‘mandatory’ vacation days… (can’t go because of the baby chicks)

I don’t know why, but I’ve been sleeping really good this week. This is a rare treat, since I rarely experience restful sleep! I’m usually up and down, at least two times per night, sometimes unable to fall back asleep for hours. I don’t know what caused this sudden change, but I hope it lasts!

Someone posted the following saying on Facebook, this week, and it really struck a chord with me. Now that I’m older, I ‘get it’. I just wish some of these younger folks, who are up to their eyeballs in debt, could understand what really matters in life.

That’s all for me today, folks! Have a blessed and happy weekend! I’ll see ya’ back here, on Monday.

1. Are the leaves turning color where you live? Have they begun to fall? Will you have to rake when it’s all said and done? Is that a chore you love or loathe?

Yes, some of the leaves have turned colors, and begun to fall, but not many. Where we live, there are lots and lots of pine trees, so we don’t get to experience the rainbow of fall colors like some folks do. We’ll have a small amount of raking to do in our yard, but not much, since we don’t have many trees in our actual yard. (We have woods on two sides of us though) As for raking, I really don’t mind, as long as I don’t have to do a lot of it 🙂

2. When did you last shake like a leaf?

The last time I ‘shook like a leaf’ was back in the summer, when Ed and I got caught up in a rain storm on St. Simon’s Island. I had on a sundress, and had forgotten to bring my shrug along. I got a bit wet during the storm, and I was cold.

3. After 20 seasons with the NY Yankees, Derek Jeter played his last official game Sunday afternoon. Jeter has been described even by opponents as a ‘class act’, both on and off the field. The NFL is back in action this month too, with several players in that sport also making headlines. What are your thoughts on athletes as role models? Should a professional athlete be expected to act as role model or is that going beyond their job description? What responsibility do the organizations these athletes work for have when it comes to dealing with off the field behavior? Discuss.

I don’t really think athletes should be used for role models because so many of them seem to have social and moral issues, these days. Of course, there are always a few exceptions, which is good. I think anyone who is in the public eye should strive to be on their best behavior at all times. Actually, everyone should strive to be on their best behavior, at all times, but we know that’s not going to happen!

I’m not sure how I really feel when it comes to organizations dealing with ‘off field behavior’. I can see how the handling of ‘off field behavior’ could become a ‘slippery slope’, when deciding where to ‘draw the line’. If they deal with off field behavior, where would they draw the line?

4. What season of the year is toughest for you in terms of your health? Why?

I think summer is the toughest season for me. In addition to dealing with other long term health issues, I’ve also had to deal with a chronic yeast condition for the past two years. Ladies, you know this isn’t fun! Extreme heat seems to make this condition worse, so I usually end up wearing loose-fitting dresses, and trying to stay indoors when it’s extremely hot outside.

5. The top six healthy food trends of 2014 according to Eating Well are-

clean eating (more veg, less meat, less sodium, limit alcohol and processed foods) trash fish (you know those fish that get caught in fishermen nets and are thrown back? It seems chefs are finding creative ways to make them more appetizing) cauliflower (this year’s IT vegetable) kaniwa (essentially baby quinoa, so like quinoa only smaller) fermentation (think pickling except with twists on flavor we’re not accustomed to) community supported food (farms operating with community support/membership).

Okay-so how many of the hot healthy food trends for 2014 have you experienced, encountered, enjoyed? Any you’ve tried and said ewwww? Any on the list you’d like to try before year’s end?

Since I began dealing with the issue of chronic yeast, I’ve been doing more ‘clean eating’. I’ve found that the kinds of foods I eat really make a difference. I’m constantly making an effort to monitor and reduce my intake of sugar, as well as other ‘bad foods’.

6. In seven words or less, bid September adieu.

Goodbye September. Sorry to see you go!

7. What’s something on your October calendar that makes you happy just thinking about it?

Our family has three birthday celebrations, this month, and then, of course, there’s Trick-or-Treating for the grandchildren. I love seeing our grandchildren dressed up for Halloween!

Halloween 2013 – Madison, Chase, Caden

Random:

Speaking of birthday celebrations, today is the birthday of someone very special in our family!

Brandy,

You really are a Daughter
Who fills our home with cheer.
And you grow more beautiful
With each and every year.

We’re lucky you’re our Daughter
And we hope you’ll always know.
That we love you and we’re proud of you
As your Birthdays come and go.

With love on your Birthday and always,

Mama & Daddy

Brandy and her daughter, Madison, who will be celebrating a birthday, too, in 3 more weeks!

As always, thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for all of her hard work and dedication concerning The Wednesday Hodgepodge!

It seems like forever since I’ve had the time or peace of mind to blog, when, actually, it’s only been five days. So much has happened in those five days! It’s been the best of times and the worst of times…

On Wednesday, Ed and I arrived at the hospital in plenty of time for our grandson, Evan’s, birth, even though morning traffic was horrible. In fact, due to an emergency, we had to wait for a couple of hours before Jennifer was able to have her c-section done. A total of thirteen people waited for Evan to be born, that morning, including his parents. Finally, at 11:20 in the morning, baby Evan arrived, and he was absolutely perfect!

Shortly after Evan’s birth, Ed and I were standing at the nursery window, admiring our new grandson from afar, when my cell phone rang. Another one of our children was on the other end of line, and they were frantic–with good cause! In that single moment, everything in our lives totally changed. Ed and I had to quickly leave the hospital, and we didn’t even get a chance to meet the newest member of our family. One of the best moments of our lives quickly turned into one of the worst.

I can’t blog about the situation at home, but, trust me when I tell you that it was something nobody would ever want to experience! In the end, it turned out that ‘ the situation’ was all caused by someone’s mistake! Thankfully, after two of the longest days of our family’s lives, things appear to be getting resolved. It’s one of those situations where someone really should be held accountable for the error, but probably never will. It also makes me want to hire a lawyer to sue for pain and suffering, for our family!

The day after Evan’s birth, Halloween came and went. Our family went through the motions of Trick-or-treating, but it definitely wasn’t one of our best years. We’ll need to have twice as much fun next year, to make up for what we missed this year!

I took a picture of the grandchildren when they stopped by for their candy, and

Jennifer dressed baby Evan up for Halloween, too. His outfit even glowed in the dark!

Finally, on Saturday, Ed and I were able to go back and meet our newest grandson! By then, Evan and his family were already home. I spent a couple of hours just holding the little fellow–and I enjoyed every minute of it! There’s nothing sweeter than a newborn baby. Just look at that little face…

(Evan pics were borrowed from his mom’s Facebook page)

After our visit with Evan and his family, the rest of our weekend was spent doing a few errands, packing up Halloween decorations, and trying to adjust to the time change. I don’t know why someone insists on changing the time twice a year! It takes me an entire month just to adjust!

Speaking of time, since it’s Monday, it’s time for the Monday Quiz over at ActingBalanced so here goes:

1. November is Peanut Butter Lover’s Month – are you a peanut butter lover? Do you have a favorite brand? favorite peanut butter recipe?

I like peanut butter, but I don’t love it. I usually buy Peter Pan peanut butter. My favorite peanut butter recipe is for candy called ‘Buckeyes’, which taste sort of like home-made Reese Cups.

3. Do you use non-English phrases in your everyday speech? What do you tend to use often?

I can’t think of any non-English phrases that I use in my everyday speech. I rarely use non-English phrases.

4. How was your Halloween? Did you dress up?

Our Halloween was filled with anxiety and turmoil, thanks to ‘the situation’ which I referred to earlier. I didn’t dress up, but I did wear my orange Halloween t-shirt, in a effort to regain some sense of normalcy.

It’s Wednesday, it’s the eve of Halloween, and it’s, also, time for The Hodgepodge! Joyce has furnished some timely questions for us, this week, so let’s get started, shall we?

1. What’s something you’re dealing with that might be described as tricky?

Ed and I are in the process of trying to figure out when would be the best time for him to retire and how we will be able to live on a ‘fixed income’ in today’s economy. The retiring part isn’t bad, living on a ‘fixed income’ in today’s economy will be the ‘tricky’ part!

2. What’s your treat of choice?

Anything that’s chocolate! I love Hershey bars (with almonds) or Hershey kisses. I also love Snickers, M&M’s, and Kit Kats, to name a few… Sadly, I can’t eat any of it, without paying a price. My body no longer tolerates sugar without creating excessive yeast and raising my level of triglycerides.

3. Did you/will you carve a jack-o-lantern this month? Which real (living or dead) or fictional ‘Jack’ would you most like to meet in person? Why?

We don’t carve jack-o-lanterns, these days, but I have several ‘fake’ ones that I use for decorations around the house.

As for meeting someone named ‘Jack’, my mother’s name was Jackie, but most people knew her as just plain ‘Jack’. She was quite a character–just ask anyone who knew her! The phrase “jack attack” was coined after mama, since she had quite a temper, and threw some memorable fits.

My ‘granddog’ is also named ‘Jack’, and he’s quite a character, too. Sometimes we think he’s trying to live up to my mama’s name 🙂

I can’t think of any other ‘Jack’ I’d care about meeting.

4. In your opinion, what’s the grossest sounding word in the English language?

Vomit. Just hearing the word makes my stomach begin to roll…

5. When did your heart last skip a beat?

My heart last skipped a beat, in July, when I watched the tree trimmers cutting down several pine trees, located mere inches away from our house! It may also skip a beat or two today–around 9:30. (see random thought)

These were some tough tune choices, but I I like Michael Jackson’s Thriller best.

7. It was a dark and stormy night when I laid in bed worrying about the large pine tree, outside of the bedroom window, falling on me while I slept! (It’s the reason we had those pine trees cut down!)

Random:

I will be late visiting everyone’s blog today. This morning, Ed and I are on the way to the hospital to welcome our newest grandson, Evan William, into the world. He’s scheduled to arrive sometime around 9:30 🙂 and we can’t wait to meet him! All babies are special, but this one is truly a miracle baby.

As usual, the weekend went by in a blur! It’s Monday, again, and I’m tired. I actually thought about not blogging today, but I’m a creature of habit, so here goes…

I’ll begin by participating in “The Monday Quiz” over at Acting Balanced. Here are Heather and Wayne’s questions, along with my answers:

1. When you went trick or treating as a kid; what did you hope people were giving out?

When I was a kid, I loved candy, ALL KINDS OF CANDY, so I didn’t really care what people were giving out–as long as it was candy 🙂 ( I have the cavities to prove it!)

2. What radio station do you listen to while driving?

I listen to the classic oldies of the 70’s and 80’s or today’s country music.

3. How much do you think should be the maximum one would spend on a three-year old’s birthday party?

It’s been years since I planned a birthday party for a little one, so I really have no idea how much a party would cost these days. I suppose how much someone spends should depend on their bank account.

4. When do you know that you trust someone?

As a rule, I trust people until they give me a reason not to. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.

My question: Are you prepared for an ’emergency situation’?

Ed and I watched last night’s show, on NAT GEO, entitled “American Blackout”. The two-hour show depicted what would happen in America, in the case of a blackout. The show was quite thought-provoking! Watching that show made me thankful I don’t live in a ‘high rise’ apartment in the city! In fact, it made me even more thankful I don’t live in the city, period!

Weekend wrap up:

It was a fun, but busy weekend in our ‘neck of the woods’. Our oldest grandchild celebrated her 7th birthday with a fun birthday party. The day started out cold (47 degrees), but by party time, it had warmed up nicely (high 60’s). It was a ‘carnival’ party, so we spent the entire day outside, which was nice. There were games, bouncy houses, hot dogs, popcorn, candied apples, cotton candy, and more…

Look at all those treats!

Madison and her guests, waiting to play the games

Madison, opening her gifts

Playing on one of the bouncy houses

After partying all day, on Saturday, Ed and I went ‘to the city’ to visit our youngest son and his wife, on Sunday. I called and told them we were coming to spend ‘their last quiet weekend’ with them 🙂 The nursery is finished and waiting for baby Evan, who is scheduled to arrive this Wednesday.

Chances are, after this week, Evan’s nursery won’t ever be this peaceful or organized again, but that’s a good thing. Thank heaven for little boys!!!

On that happy note, I’ll end this post! Have a great Monday, everyone!

It’s been four days since I’ve spent anytime here in blog world. Lately, I can’t seem to keep up with everything life keeps throwing at me, so I had to give myself a blogging break. Something had to give, but I’m back, for now! 🙂

I devoted part of last week to getting ready for Halloween. Halloween is a ‘big deal’ at our house, and I have lots of inside and outside decorations. I’ve been collecting inside Halloween decorations for about twenty years, so you can imagine! After two days of dragging around plastic tubs of decorations, I’m officially decorated!

I’ve almost gotten my house back in order after doing the furniture switch-er-oo in Ed’s bedroom, last weekend, too. I only have a few odds-n-ends left to put away, thank goodness. There’s one last piece of furniture at Ed’s mom’s that we still need to move here, but, for now, it’s staying put!

On Friday, I spent some time in Ed’s mom’s house. I began cleaning and packing in one of the bedrooms. The room belonged to her oldest grandson, whom she raised, most of his life, until he joined the Navy in 1992. His room hasn’t been touched since then! Ed’s mom simply closed the door and left everything just as he left it. Of course, her grandson, occasionally, came home for visits, over the years, but never really bothered to take the rest of his stuff with him. I’m packing up all of the things he left behind, and, hopefully, he’ll claim them when he comes home for Christmas.

On Saturday, Ed and I finished washing down the house. People will tell you that ” keeping up vinyl siding is easier than painting”, but it’s still not easy! I don’t know how many more years Ed will be able to climb up and down the ladder to reach the high areas, but for now, the outside of our house is “as clean as a whistle”!

Sunday found Ed and me ‘in the city’. I cooked lunch early Sunday morning, then packed the food up and took it to Brad and Jennifer’s house. It was the first time we’d seen Jennifer since she’d spent time in the hospital. (Brad had surprised us with a Thursday evening visit to our house, since he was working in our area that day!) We all ate lunch together, and visited for a little while before Ed and I headed out to do a little shopping on our way back home.

Jennifer seems to be doing well, although she is somewhat miserable, of course. Evan’s nursery is very cute, and all it needs is him to make it complete! (It’s blue, and is decorated in a ‘sports puppy theme’.) The tentative plans are to schedule a c-section for Jennifer toward the end of October, if Evan continues to stay put until then. Ed has cataract surgery scheduled for Oct. 24, so I’m hoping the two surgeries don’t conflict with each other.

Speaking of Ed’s cataract surgery, he had to make an appointment back to the eye doctor last week. The eye, from which he’d had the cataract removed, suddenly became red and irritated, over the weekend. Fortunately, nothing was wrong except an extreme case of eye irritation, from being outside. I guess Ed’s new lens is going to be sensitive to dust and wind, so he’ll have to use special drops for the irritation. Another side-effect of growing older, I suppose.

Anyway, Ed and I finally made it back home from the city just before dark, last night. It was good to leave the fast pace, rude people, and heavy traffic behind us. I only regret that we had to leave our son and his family behind, as well…

Our passel of pets were all happy to see us, since it was well past their supper time! First we stopped by Ed’s mom’s house to feed “Trouble”, the cat, then made our way to our own house to feed our own twelve cats and two dogs. Unfortunately, “my girls”, the hens, had already roosted for the night, so they missed their evening ‘treat’! I sprinkled some scratch feed in their pen, so they’d have an early morning surprise waiting for them.

Yes, life sure is good, here on the farm, and there’s nothing like a quick visit to the city to remind us of this! To borrow a phrase from an old John Denver song, “Hey, it’s good to be back home again! Sometimes, this old farm seems like a long, lost friend. Hey, it’s good to be back home again!”

It’s time to begin a new week by joining Heather for the Halloween Edition of her Monday meme. Here are the questions:

1. Do you consider Halloween a holiday for children or adults?
Many years ago, when I was a child, Halloween was mainly for children. These days, there seems to be a lot of parties and activities involving adults, so I guess it can be for both.

2. At what age should children stop trick or treating?
I think around age eleven is a good stopping point. In my opinion, there’s no need for teenagers to be out trick-or-treating, unless they are the ones taking their younger siblings.

3. What are your plans for Halloween?

In the past, Ed and I have hosted a couple of parties (for family), but this year we’re just looking forward to having the grandchildren stop by to pick up their Halloween goody bags on trick-or-treat night–which happens to be Tuesday night here. Our town only allows trick-or-treating on Tuesday or Thursday evenings.

4. What frightens you?

Small, dark, confined spaces, heights, things that go “bump” in the night, loaded guns, snakes…just to name a few things.

My question for you:

What has been your most memorable Halloween experience?

For me, it was the two family Halloween Parties that we’ve hosted. It was so much fun to see what everyone dressed up as–and the party foods got pretty creative, too.!)

About the weekend:

The weekend was busy around our house, but, fortunately, all of our activities took place at home! We attended our granddaughter’s birthday party( next-door) and Ed continued working on his latest construction project, which I’ll write about at a later date.

Fortunately, there was no “manhunt” this weekend. Things seemed almost boring compared to last weekend! The authorities still haven’t caught that guy–and there’s even a reward for information leading to his arrest! I hope he’s long gone.

As the new week begins, I’m sending up prayers for those in the path of “Frankenstorm”, as well as the final week of presidential campaigning.